The invention relates to a method of making sewn patterns in sewing machines, and to patterns which are obtained in accordance with the method.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,561,369 to Meier discloses a sewn pattern arrangement which is produced by a zig-zag sewing machine. Each pattern occupies a substantially square area having a length less than the maximum bight range and a width corresponding to the maximum range in the feed direction. Each pattern has sections which extend diagonally of a portion of the respective area. The patent teaches that the width of the rectangular area for each pattern be an integer fraction of the maximum bight width and proposes to have the starting needle penetration point for the making of a next-following pattern coincide with the final needle penetration point of the preceding pattern, i.e., to avoid the making of so-called jump stitches between successive elementary patterns. Each next-following pattern can be formed above, below, laterally adjacent or diagonally of the preceding pattern. The last thread leg of each elementary pattern extends the full length of a diagonal of the respective pattern. Such patterns can be assembled into large-area arrays by grouping rows of elementary patterns side by side.
As a rule, the maximum bight range of a household sewing machine is between 5 and 8 mm, and the maximum range in the feed direction is between 4 and 6 mm, depending upon the design or setting of the mechanism which includes the feed dog. Thus, if the bight range is 8 mm and the range in the feed direction is 6 mm, and assuming that the sewing of patterns in accordance with the teaching of Meier is based on bisection of the bight width, the maximum square area which is available for the making of an elementary pattern is 4.times.4 mm, and the maximum square area available upon trisection of the bight width is approximately 2.7.times.2.7 mm. This results in the making of relatively small elementary patterns which are often unacceptable for a number of reasons. In fact, even if an elementary pattern which can be obtained in accordance with the method of Meier were to extend along the entire bight width, such pattern would still be much too small for many purposes. Otherwise stated, the dimensions of elementary patterns which can be sewn in accordance with the method of Meier are limited by the bight width of the sewing machine. Another drawback of the patented method is that the appearance of certain types of elementary patterns is unsatisfactory because the patterns of a row of patterns are likely to be, and as a rule are, quite different from each other. This affects the visual effect of the arrangement of such patterns. The appearance of a group of elementary patterns which are obtained in accordance with the teaching of Meier is further likely to be adversely affected due to the fact that the patentee proposes to have the starting needle penetration point of a next-following pattern coincide with the final needle penetration point of the immediately preceding pattern. The making of several penetration points at the center of an elementary pattern (where the diagonally extending halves of the pattern cross each other) also affects the appearance of the pattern and entails a substantial reduction of the number of those (full-length) thread legs which extend all the way between the outermost points of a diagonally extending half pattern.